Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
In 1600 Poland’s first Calvary sanctuary was established in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a town in the Carpathian Foothills 33 km southwest from Krakow, to provide pilgrims with a substitute of Jerusalem lost to the Muslim Turks and thus unavailable.
With its 42 churches and chapels of all shapes and sizes in addition to the central basilica and the Franciscan monastery, the vast complex of buildings scattered among woods on the slopes of the 527-meter-high Zar mountain grew to be the biggest such compound in Europe. It is also Poland’s second most important historic destination for pilgrims.
Over ages the pilgrimage to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska influenced millions of Poles. And one frequent pilgrim proved very special–Pope John Paul II, born in nearby Wadowice.
UNESCO has entered the sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in its list of the World Heritage sites.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
In 1600 Poland’s first Calvary sanctuary was established in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a town in the Carpathian Foothills 33 km southwest from Krakow, to provide pilgrims with a substitute of Jerusalem lost to the Muslim Turks and thus unavailable.
With its 42 churches and chapels of all shapes and sizes in addition to the central basilica and the Franciscan monastery, the vast complex of buildings scattered among woods on the slopes of the 527-meter-high Zar mountain grew to be the biggest such compound in Europe. It is also Poland’s second most important historic destination for pilgrims.
Over ages the pilgrimage to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska influenced millions of Poles. And one frequent pilgrim proved very special–Pope John Paul II, born in nearby Wadowice.
UNESCO has entered the sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in its list of the World Heritage sites.